The Quill is Mightier than the Wand
by Potter47
Summary: So, how did James ever get Lily to go out with him? And whose ‘eyes are as brown as a brown painted boat?’ This proves that the lack of poetry skills is hereditary.
1. A total buffoon

The Quill is Mightier than the Wand  


_Potter47 _

Authors Note: So, how did James ever get Lily to go out with him? And whose 'eyes are as brown as a brown painted boat?' This proves that the lack of poetry skills is hereditary. 

Oh, and only the new poems are mine, the rest is JKR's.

**

Chapter One  
A Total Buffoon

**

James Potter was sitting at the desk of his dormitory, writing the letter that he just _knew_ would change his life forever. It was to Lily Evans. 

__

Dear Lily,

Your hair is as red as Gryffindor's coat of arms,  
Your eyes two cauldrons of potion,  
I know that in the end, I won't be just your friend,  
So lets just set this thing in motion!   


Will you go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?

JP

Who would've thought? James Potter writing poetry! If Sirius found ever found out...

He tied the letter to his owl, Demosthenes' leg (he didn't name it), and sent it through the open window. 

James was absolutely certain that it was the best thing he'd ever written. Lily would agree for _sure_. 

* * *

The next morning at breakfast, James received Lily's reply. It was in a scarlet envelope. He leaned forward to pick it up, but caught himself. 

__

Scarlet? But it couldn't be. Not a-a howler_! But I was sure she'd love it! _James whined silently.

"Look! Potter's got himself a howler!" one of the nearby Gryffindors said, pointing at the now lightly smoking letter.

"Prongs, what did you do?" Sirius asked incredulously. "And why didn't you include me?" Padfoot mocked a hurt face.

"Er, James," Wormtail said cautiously, "shouldn't you open it?" 

Of course, he _was_ right. James was just too shocked at the obvious rejection that he hardly noticed that the envelope was emitting large puffs of multicolor smoke. First red, then blue, then yellow, then green, then red again.

And then...

The explosion was deafening. By far the loudest thing many of the nearby students had ever heard. The only person who seemed completely unaffected, was Lily, who was buttering her toast with a rather smug look on her face.

The seemingly hundred times magnified voice shook the entire Gryffindor table. In actuality, this was just bad luck. You see, James' only experience with a howler, and his son's after him, happened to be from the two senders who actually _could _yell that loud.

"A POEM!?" Lily's voice rang through the hall, "YOU SEND ME A BLOODY _POEM_? JUST SO YOU KNOW _POTTER, _THAT REALLY WAS HORRIBLE.

"BUT IF YOU INSIST ON A POEM...I GUESS YOU DESERVE SOME POETIC JUSTICE, DON'T YOU THINK? AHEM,

"_His hair, look at it, it is all quite a mess,  
and blacker than blood by the moon,  
Can't get it through his head, that I wish he were dead,  
He's really a total buffoon!  
_

"NOW _THAT'S_ A POEM!"

The hall burst out laughing as the howler's echoes faded. Even the other Marauders had joined in. Actually, the better phrase would be, 'Even Remus and Peter had joined in.' Sirius had been laughing out loud since the thing exploded and was now banging his head on the table, crying in mirth.

"Buffoon! Oh that was _classic,_ Evans." He said once his laughter had died out, which took quite a while. 

"What did you _do_?" asked Remus.

"Wrote her a poem." James mumbled back.

Sirius snorted. "Honestly, there are other Kappas in the pond..." 

"Lily is _not_ a Japanese water demon!" James hissed at his friend.

"MONGOLIAN!" Came a roar from the Slytherin table. All heads swiveled to see Severus Snape, who was now on his feet and staring icily toward the Gryffindors. 

"What was that, Snivellus?" Sirius called.

"The kappa is more commonly found in Mongolia!" Snape shouted.

Lily turned toward Snape. "What are you talking about?"

"Yeah, it's a Japanese water demon. Says so in Fantastic Beasts." Lupin said, looking quizzically across the hall.

"And it conveniently also underlines the word 'Japanese' and says that 'Snape hasn't read this either,'" Sirius called back to Snape.

"You're all wrong!" called Snape, pointing at the Gryffindors. "All of you! Your all just incompetent Gryffindors! I know it!"

"_Right_," said Sirius skeptically. "Back to the matter at hand, what possessed you to write her a _poem_? I mean, maybe a letter, but a poem? What did it _say_ anyway?"

James explained his poem to his friends. 

"Well," said Sirius, his hand on his chin and a thoughtful look on his face, "there's only one thing to do."

"What?" asked Peter.

"Write her another one."

* * *

James did in fact write her another one. He personally though it was much better than his first. It went:

_Dear Lily,_

_Her eyes are as green as the Slytherin coat,  
Hair is as red as a fire,  
No matter what she say, I just can't look away,  
I say anything else I'm a liar!   
_

Please? Just this once?

- James Potter

Her reply was short, and he received it that night. 

_Fine, Potter. But you better not go saying that you 'got yourself a girlfriend'. I'm only doing this to spare myself from your poor writing ability. **This will not lead to anything! **_

- Lily Evans

Of course, we _all _know that it didn't lead to _anything_.

A/N: Next chapter is Ron/Luna.


	2. More to him than it seems

**_

Chapter Two  
More to him than it seems

_**

Ron Weasley was in his seventh and final year at Hogwarts when one of the oddest things happened to him. He got a Valentine.

It was anonymous, but Ron was the only person who seemed to have no clue who it was from. 

Dumbledore, the bloody madman as Ron had put it, had decided that in the dark times they were currently in, they should bring back the _ever_ so popular Valentines from when Gilderoy Lockhart held the cursed position of Defense against the Dark Arts professor. 

Harry, for one, thought it was hilarious when one of the ugly little dwarves caught up with Ron on his way to charms. Probably because he was glad it wasn't for him again. Ron put up more of a fight than Harry had, actually managing to run halfway down the corridor before he was tackled, and then still nearly got away. But in the end, the dwarf had pinned him to the ground. 

"I've got a musical message to deliver to Ron Weasley in person," the dwarf said menacingly. 

Harry burst out laughing when he heard that, and Ron glared. 

"What's going on here?" said Malfoy, who had arrived, to make the torture complete.

"What's all the commotion?" asked Ginny, making Harry laugh harder.

"Here is your singing Valentine," said the dwarf, and he sang,

_His hair is as red as his Quidditch team robes,  
He's the keeper for Gryffindor team,  
I wish he was mine, he's really divine,  
There's much more to him than it seems!   
_

Ginny looked as though she was struggling not to join in on Harry's laughter. Malfoy looked as though Christmas had come early.

"You got an admirer Weasley? Well doesn't this seem familiar? Right, Potter, Weaslet?" He looked from Harry to Ginny. "I wonder why they didn't sign their name? Too embarrassed that they like _you_?"

"Shut up, Malfoy." Ron gritted his teeth.

"Fine, Weasley. But where you gonna take her? A stroll by the _moon_light, perhaps?" Malfoy walked away, laughing.

"Ginny," Ron said, "who sent that?" 

"Why are you asking me?"

"Oh, I don't know, didn't sound a bit _familiar_?"

"Honestly, Ron, if you can't figure it out, we're not telling you." Harry had recovered from his laughing.

"Bloody hell, who would send _me_ a Valentine?" Ron asked no one in particular.

"Hello, Ronald," said Luna as she drifted past them.

"Oh, hi Lu-" Ron's eyes widened. 

"I think he's got it," Ginny whispered to Harry.

"I do believe so."

"Bloody _hell_!"

* * *

"Why did it have to be _Luna_? Out of everyone in the school, Loony Luna Lovegood had to be the one to get a crush on _me_!" Ron whined to Hermione, Harry, and Ginny, once in the common room. 

"Well," said Hermione, looking like she was struggling to keep her laughter bottled up, "Luna's a really _nice_ person. Er, and by your standards she should be fine, she's not bad-looking, after all."

"Do you understand this Hermione? This is _Loony_ _Lovegood_!" He emphasized every syllable. 

"Ron, if you know she likes you, just tell her you don't like her that way. Simple," said Harry.

"Yeah, yeah you're right. Thanks Harry." Ron stood up and began to walk toward the stairs.

"Hang on. Is that what _you _would do if you knew someone liked you, Harry?" asked Ginny, accusingly.

"Er..." was the last thing Ron heard before the dormitory door shut.

* * *

"Ron, Luna just came in." Harry whispered to Ron at breakfast the next day. 

"Bloody hell."

Ron took a deep breath. Slowly, he left the Gryffindor table and strode purposefully toward the Ravenclaw one. He even remembered to glare at Michael Corner for good measure.

"Er, Luna? Can I talk to you?" 

"Sure Ronald."

She turned around in her seat and stood up. But she didn't even move her legs. How did she do that?

"Yes?" 

"You see, er. That valentine. I, er I'm flattered and all, but..." The next thing he did surprised everyone, but none more than himself.

He kissed her...

...in front of the whole school.

He didn't even notice the thumbs-up Luna flashed toward Ginny. He didn't care.

It was a while before the kiss ended, and if he remembered what he was saying before hand, he certainly wouldn't of finished the sentence.

A/N: Final chapter: Harry/Ginny


	3. The girl that I saved from the Dark Lord

**_Chapter Three  
The girl that I saved from the Dark Lord_**

Karma, fate, destiny. Whatever you want to call it, I'm sure it's why this happened to me. 

I never would of thought five, no, three, no, not even one year ago, that I'd feel like this. I mean, It's not exactly something you expect, falling in love with your best mate's little sister.

The world never was that nice to me. I mean, I never knew my parents, Sirius was killed, my future was determined before I was even born.

But _why_ couldn't it of happened a couple years earlier? Back when she fancied me? You have no idea what it's been like, languishing in love while she merrily asks out other boys right under my nose. Must be a girl thing.

I haven't been on a date since fifth year. _Fifth year_! Ron's been on more dates than me. 

__

Yeah, only about fifty more, he and Hermione did go out for a year before she nearly killed him.

No! I _hate_ it when this happens. I always end up in an internal argument. _Every_ day. Every single one! And I always lose, too.

__

Just give it to the stupid dwarf!

But it's not perfect!

__

Who are you? Aunt Petunia?

Fine, I'll hand it over.

__

Good.

See? I lost again.

__

You can't lose. I'm you too, and I always win.

See how hard it is to be me? Not only did the girl of my dreams give up on me before I knew she was the girl of my dreams, but I'm going insane!

__

At least you admit it. The first step to recovery, you know.

"Shut up!" Damn, I said that out loud.

He's staring at me. The dwarf is staring at me.

__

Apologize! 

"Oh, I'm sorry, I er, was having an argument inside my head," I told the dwarf.

__

Great lie.

Urgh.

* * *

"I can't believe he's doing this," said Lily. She looked away from her son, to her husband.

"He's full of Gryffindor spirit," replied James, as he walked into his son.

"Honestly, James. It's been sixteen years. That joke is getting kind of old." He walked out of his son.

"Well, like father like son. Poems worked to get a redhead to notice _me_." He grinned smugly at his wife. 

"Heaven forbid he inherited your writing ability."

"Let's go ask them."

"Who?"

"The people who forbid things, up in heaven." He nodded upward.

"_Honestly_, James."

* * *

I think I overdid the laughing a bit.

__

Just a bit_, yeah._

Fine, I overdid it a lot. I just couldn't help it. It was just like...

__

I know, I know. Just like Ginny's.

Speaking of Ginny...

__

No. Thinking_ of Ginny._

Yeah, whatever, but that's her at the end of the corridor. And that's a -

__

Oh no.

Oh no.

__

Dwarf! Run!

I can't. It's one of those times that the narrative says that my feet seem to be stuck to the floor.

__

This is first person. There is no narrative. Run!

Oh, yeah.

__

That was close. 

Why did we run?

__

Er, I'm not all that sure. But we're not a we. We're a, oh, I guess we are a we.

I knew I was insane.

Hang on.

__

What?

That wasn't our dwarf. That one was shorter. That was the one that delivered Ron's. And it wasn't singing.

__

So we just ran all the way back to Gryffindor for nothing.

Well, not _all_ the way.

"Hey, Harry." Ginny. She's right there. What do I say? What do I say?

"_Hey, Gin._" 

How'd you do that?

__

I'm you. I can talk if I want to.

I miss sanity.

* * *

"Can you believe how panicked he was?" asked Sirius, who decided to come watch his godson make a fool of himself.

"I know," said James to his best friend. "He really missed out on a lot with your sister, Lil. He never got to learn from me."

"Doesn't he see she still likes him?" asked Lily.

"She _what_?" asked James. "How can you tell? She's been dating half the school!"

"She has dated four people. Michael Corner, Dean Thomas, Terry Boot, and Zacharias Smith."

"She dated _Smith_? That git? Harry should find someone else. She has no taste at all." Sirius looked stricken.

"She fancied _Harry_ for four years. How dare you insult my son!" said James, mock-angrily.

"Shut up!" said Lily. "She didn't fancy Harry for four years. She's fancied him for nearly seven. Since the platform when she was ten."

"How do you know?"

"We don't have to only watch _our_ child..." 

* * *

"Ginny Weasley!" called the fat little dwarf, running as fast as it could to get to where Ginny and I stood.

"I have a singing Valentine for Miss Ginny Weasley."

Not now.

__

Bloody hell.

"Not another bloody Valentine." Apparently Ginny had gotten quite a few this year.

__

How could she not?

He's opening the scroll. Oh no. Oh no.

__

Can you run?

What'll she think of me then?

__

Good point. She'd think you were so selfish that you couldn't even spare a minute for someone else.

"Here is your singing Valentine," I'm visibly cringing. I know it.

__

"Her eyes are as brown as a brown painted boat,

Her hair, Gryffindor colored.

I wish she was mine, she's really divine,

The girl that I saved from the Dark Lord!"

Maybe she doesn't know it's from me?

__

Oh, yeah. Half the boys in school have saved her from the Dark Lord. It's the latest fad.

Why did you put that in?

__

It was your idea!

Yours too!

"Er..." Who said that? Was that me or her?

__

I think both.

"Harry? Did you..."

Look down. Look down at the floor. Ah, good Harry. "Yes."

She's gaping at us!

__

Do something!

What?

__

I don't know. Kiss her?

Okay. Not hard. Just have to kiss her. I've never kissed anyone before! What do I do?

__

I've never kissed anyone either. How should I know?

Shut up! Just let me think straight, and then I can properly narrate this part to the reader.

__

Fine.

I kissed her. It was short, clumsy, and not all that well planned, but at least it was _dry_.

"Do you want to, er, go to Hogsmeade, tomorrow? With us? I mean me? With me?" Damn, I blew that one. She'll never say yes to that.

"Yes."

YES!!!

She's smiling at me.

"What an original poem, too," she said teasingly.

* * *

"How did she know?" asked James. "She knows about our poems!"

"No, she means it's like hers. From her first year. You know, "Fresh pickled toad.'"

"Oh, yeah. Isn't it odd that all of us wrote nearly the same poem? Me, you, Ginny, Luna, and Harry?"

"It all proves one thing," said Lily.

"What?" asked Sirius. "That the lack of poetry skills is hereditary?"

"No. And yes. But no, it all proves that the pen is mightier than the sword."

They stared at her blankly.

"I mean," she noticed the mistake, "the quill is mightier than the wand."

"Right."

_

~The End~

_


End file.
